Friday, April 21, 2017

Batman is one
busy guy. As well as regularly appearing on our TV screens, at the
cinema, in comic strips and at conventions up and down the country,
he is also showing up in some more everyday locations. For example,
on a trip far away from Gotham City, he recently visited Norwich
Castle Mall in a replica Batmobile from the 1989 Batman Film. Eve
since he introduced himself to the wide public as played by Adam West
in the television series that ran from 1966 to 1968, Batman has been
a favourite pop culture icon, and for a number of reasons - not only
marketing either - he's never been absent from the spotlight. Here
are five of our favourite places that we’d like Batman pop up in
soon.

At A Party

What better
place for the superhero to show up than at a party? Ideally, we'd
like him to pop up at a special themed event to enjoy the
different treats on offer. There are many different types of Batman
decorations available to create the right atmosphere including
plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths, banners and black balloons to
hang in the Batcave. Party Delights, for instance, offers over 110
individual Batman-themed products. Add to this some Penguin Punch or
Joker Juice and the scene is set for a great night. A recent
Buzzfeed article lists seven Batman character-inspired cocktails
which seem ideal for such a party. Let’s just hope he shows up to
join in the fun.

In a
marathon

credit: Pixabay

With the days
getting longer and the nights lighter, spring is the perfect time to
get outside and exercise more. For the runners (or spectators)
amongst us, another great place to see Batman is in a marathon
race. Robin currently holds the world half-marathon record for the
fastest time recorded by a male dressed in superhero costume
(1:09:33) with Batman not far behind (1:10:45). The marathon world
record for a runner in a superhero costume currently lies with
Wonder Woman though! This means the Virgin
Money London Marathon, which takes place on the 23rd
of April, is the perfect opportunity for Batman to show up and get on
the leader board.

In Online Gaming

If spotting
Batman in a road race sounds a bit too energetic for some of you,
then another great place for him to appear would be in online games.
There are quite a few genres to consider here. At the moment,
thematic, officially licenced slots, such as those offered by Betway
Casino, make great use of their different themes from
across pop culture. In the Jurassic Park one, for example, the five
different reels feature familiar creatures from the film such at the
T-Rex, the Velociraptor, the Brachiosaurus, the Triceratops and the
Dilophosaurus, all estimated to have inhabited the earth about 190
million years ago. Added to this title is a realistic tropical
rainforest background, animated sequences and sound effects in
keeping with the prehistoric setting. In other gaming genres, there
are already some Batman games out. Web gaming hub Heroes
Arcade has collected and provides free opportunities
to play platform, action and more types of Batman-themed games from
all over the web, even including Batman Dress Up and beat'em up title
Batman Underground. It would be interesting to see Batman be
developed in even more ways in gaming, with the Batcave being used as
a backdrop for games to be played out against.

In a
restaurant

credit: Pixabay

Another
exciting place for Batman to appear at would be in a restaurant.
Imagine sharing your meal with him and Robin or having the superhero
take care of your bill for you. While it can’t be guaranteed
that Batman will pay a flying visit, there are places to eat that
offer themed food. There's an official DC Comics cafe at the Pavilion
Mall in Kuala Lumpur which offers delights such as the Dark Knight
Burger, which is served in a charcoal coloured bun, followed by
Batman ice cream. A bit closer to home, Area 52 cafe in London
also serves superhero inspired meals and decor. Watch out for Batman
toys in fast food restaurants too – there have been
plenty of giveaways by big names over the years, including McDonalds
and Pizza Hut.

In new
kinds of merchandise

A last place
we’d like Batman to pop up in is in the form of even more unusual
and quirkier types of merchandise. There are currently stacks of
Batman toys, items of clothing and costumes, electronic goods,
stickers and collectible
items available for the discerning superhero fan. It’s
also good to see new items coming onto the scene though. Last
Christmas for example, it was great to see novelty jumpers that
featured Batman and Robin, with designs including Fairisle as well as
other characters such as The Joker in them too.

The new Lego
Movie, which has grossed more than $173,000,000 so far, has also
introduced different types of merchandise, with the five most popular
new
items amongst fans being Lego key ring lights, the
Joker’s Notorious Low Rider, mini-figures set, Scarecrow Special
Delivery and Batgirl Batjet Chase. With opportunities for appearing
limitless, remember to keep your eyes peeled for Batman whenever you
are out and about as he is sure to appear in one guise or another
somewhere soon!